Alfredo Sauce

I am a huge fan of Alfredo sauce, but I don't dare make it very often because it's usually not remotely healthy for you. However, I played around with some changes to a recipe that (I think) originally came from Betty Crocker, substituting lower fat ingredients where I could and trying not to give up the flavour or texture. I think I've won!

One thing I realized could not be compromised on was the butter. I have even successfully made it with the grated Parmesan cheese in a can, but the butter couldn't be swapped out. However, I was successful in using skim milk instead of heavy cream, and using some neufchatel cheese helped with the rich texture while still cutting back on some fat.

This part feels like it takes nine years, and you have to be VERY careful or you'll splash melted butter all over the stove and yourself. Trust me, splashing melted butter all over yourself really hurts! Just be patient, don't turn the heat up too high, and whisk carefully. After waiting forever for it to start to melt, it'll happen pretty much all at once.

See? It does come out smooth. I wouldn't lie to you about that. This is just butter and neufchatel cheese with some garlic powder at this point. I never heat the milk before adding it (which is next), but I do pour it into my measuring cup when I start melting the butter and leave it on the counter so it's a little warmer than when it first came out of the refrigerator. You can heat it if it makes you feel better.

While whisking constantly, stir in the milk. Keep whisking until you have a thin creamy soup-like pan of goodness, making sure any lumps are gone. It's amazing how many lumps this gets when it doesn't have any thickeners in it.

Finally, add the cheese and pepper and keep heating, whisking frequently if not constantly, until the cheese is completely melted. Then continue heating, whisking frequently, until your sauce is as thick as you want it. I've noticed if I'm using the cheese in a can it doesn't take as long as it does when I use actual shredded cheese, but it's usually somewhere in the 5-10 minute range.

From there, use your Alfredo sauce however you want. The best picture I have happens to be of some Eggplant Alfredo I made a couple of summers ago (the recipe for that can be found on my Facebook page, but I've used it on pasta, in casseroles, and drizzled over any number of types of vegetables.

Alfredo Sauce

Serves 6-8

1/2 cup butter
8 ounces neufchatel cheese
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 cups fat-free milk
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Melt butter in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.

Add neufchatel cheese and garlic powder and whisk until smooth (be careful, the melted butter will splash).

Gradually add milk, whisking constantly.

Continue heating over medium heat, whisking frequently, until heated.

Whisk in Parmesan and pepper; continue heating, whisking frequently, until desired thickness.

Serving Size: 1 (153.9 g)

Calories 319.2

Total Fat - 25.1 g

Saturated Fat - 15.9 g

Cholesterol - 71.4 mg

Sodium - 560.5 mg

Total Carbohydrate - 6.4 g

Dietary Fiber - 0.1 g

Sugars - 0.3 g

Protein - 17.7 g